Toy umbrella



United States Pateftif TOY UMBRELLA Manfred Kirschbaum, Berlin-Lichterfelde, Germany Application September 4, 1952, Serial N0. 307,890

10 Claims. (C1. 135-20) This inVention relates to a fancy goods articles cousisting of kerchiefs, preferably handkerchiefs, combined to an umbrella in such a way, that they are usable for their original purpose after the dismantling of the umbrella. A novel feature of construction enables to expand and to contract the umbrella, thereby providing for an additional use as a toy, which makes the kerchiefs more attractive to buyers.

The toy umbrella according to the invention consists cf a handle comprising at least one wound kerchief, an expandible and contractible support provided at one end of the handle and a cover comprising at least one kerchief, removably attached to the support. For the structural elements cf the umbrella inexpensive materials, preferably cardboard and wire can be used, which do not essentially increase the costs of production. The cover sustaining ribs of the support and the extension ribs connected to thern at one end are made cf cardboard strips, whereby the first mentioned ribs are attached to a ring, immovably secured to the upper end of the handle, while the extension ribs are attached with their other ends to a sleeve, slidable along the handle for operation of the ribs, to expand or contract the whole structure. The four corners of the kerchief used as a cover are folded inwardly to form an octagon, closely resembling the outline of a real umbrella cover. The central portion of the kerchief is frictionally held upon the upper ring of the support by a removable outer ring, while the edges are fastened by removable clips to the free ends of the cover sustaining ribs.

With the aforementioned objects in view and others which will become apparent and be detailed during the course of this description, my invention consists in the parts, elements, features and combinations thereof hereinafter described and claimed.

In the acompanying drawing which illustrates the preferred form of this invention and in which similar reference numerals refer to similar features in the different views:

Fig. 1 is a sectional vertical elevation through a partly expanded toy umbrella, involving this invention.

Fig. 2 is an interior view of the toy umbrella in expanded position.

Referring to the drawing, which illnstrates a preferred form of this invention, 1 designates a handle, made of one or more kerchiefs wound around a central rod 2, preferably a piece of wire. The lower end of the rod 2 With the kerchief wrapped around is bent to a crook 3. A ribbon 4, wrapped and tied around the handle near the crook 3, prevents unwindihg of the respective portion of the kerchief and forms a decoration.

The expandible and contractible umbrella frame cansists of a number cf cardboard strips 5 and 6, radially extending from the handle 1, of these the strips 5 represent the cover sustaining ribs and the strips 6 the extension ribs. In the preferred embodiment illustrated in the drawing eight ribs are used, but any other number of ribs may be used, without departing from the principle of 2,716,417 Paenfed Aug. 30, 1955 this invention. The extension ribs 6 are flexibly counected at the upper end to the cover sustai'ning ribs 5, while the lower ends of the extension ribs 6 are flexibly attached to an encircling sleeve 7, preferably made of cardboard, which is 'slidably mounted an the handle. In the preferred form of this invention, the extensidn ribs are glued over approximately half of their length to the cover sustaining ribs as reinforcings. The cover sustainingribs 5 are at their upper ends flexibly attached toia common ring 8, preferably of cardboard, which is immovably located on the upper end of the handle l. The ring 8 may be secured' tothe handle by a pin 9 extending almost diametrically through the layers of the wound kerchief 1 of the handle. The flexibility of the strip maten'al provides for the neceSsary 'articulation at the joints, When eXpanding or contracting the frame by sli'ding the sleeve 7 along the handle.

A kerchief 10 forms the cover of the umbrella, it has its f0ur corners 10a, 10b, and 10d folded inwardly so as to convert its square shape to an octagonal shape, which closely resembles the outline of a real umbrella cover. The central ortion of the kerchief 10 covers the ring 8 and is frictionally held upon the ring by an encircling outer ring 11, preferably of gummed cellulose tape. The edges of the kerchief 10 are attached to the free ends of the cover sustaining ribs 5 with the aid of U-shaped metal clips 12, ordiharily used to attach tags, bent around the ribs and the edges of the cover in such way, that the sides of the U firmly keep the parts in between.

After use as a toy for a suflicient length of titue, the umbrella can be easily dismantled, to make proper use of the kerchiefs. It is only necessary, to open the clips 12 and to withdraw the outer ring 11 in order to have the kerchief 10 forming the cover, ready for rexnoval. The ring 8 with the complete frame attached t0 it, can be slid 01T the handle l, as soon as the pin 9 has been pulled 01T. When the ribbon 4 has been untied, the kerchief l can be unwound and also rernoved.

The preferred embodiment of the invention described above discloses the use of each one kerchief only for the cover and for the handle of the umbrella, however two or more kerchiefs can be used for these elements of the umbrella if deemed feasible.

The invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, many changes can be made and various details of construction may be varied without departing frorn the principles of this invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. A toy umbrella consisting of a handle comprising at least one wound kerchief, a support provided at one end of said handle for expanding and contracting movements, means slidable upon said handle operatively connected with said support, and a cover compriSing at least one kerchief removably attached to said support.

2. A toy umbrella as claimed in clairn l, in which the handle comprises a rod around which the first mentioned kerchief is wound.

3. A toy umbrella as claimed in claim l, in which the handle comprises a wire around which the first mentioned kerchief is wound, one end of the wire being bent to a crook.

4. A toy umbrella as claimed in claim 1 in which the kerchief forming the cover is of square shape with theprising atleast one kerchief rernovably attached to said frame.

6. A toy umbrella consisting 'of a handle comprising at least one wound kerchief, a ring secured to the upper end of saidhandle.cover sustaining cardboard strips attachedat one end t0 said ring,.means slidable' upon said handle operatively connected with said cover' sustaining cardboard strips, and acover comprisingat least one kerchief, removably attached to' said ring and said cover sustaining cardboardstrips.

7. A tc yumbrellaconsisting ofahandle comprising at least one woun'd kerchief, aring secured to the upper end= of said handle, a=sleeve slidabl'es on said handle, cover sustaining cardboard strips connected at one end to said ring, extension cardboard stripsconnected at= one endto said cover sustaining cardboard strip's and atthe other end: t0 said sleeve andwa covercomprising at least one kerchief removably attached to said ring. and to said cover= sustaini'ng cardboard strip's.

8. A toy umbrellaas claimed inclaim 7 in which the extension cardboard stripsare conneeted-on part of their length to said cover= sustaining cardboard strips.

9. A toy umbrell'a as claimed in clai'rn 6, in combinationwith anouter ring 011 the upper e'nd of said handle,

enclosing the central portion of said cover, said outer ring being immovably secured to said handle, and clips adapted to secure the edges of said cover to said cover sustaining cardboard strips.

10. A toy umbrella consisting of a handle comprising at least one wound kerchief, a ring secured to the upper end cf said handle, eight radially extending cover sustaining cardboard strips attachedto said ring for expanding and contracting movements, means slidable upon said handle operatively ccsnnected with said cover sustaining cardboard strips, and a cover comprising at least one square shaped kerchief having four corners i'nwardly foldad so astuconvert the square shape cf said last named kerchief t0 an oetagonal shape, removably attached at T.he central portion to said ring and at its edges to said cover sustaining cardboard strips.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITEDSTATES PATENTS 

